Such a feed device is known from WO 2009/068241A1. It has a downwardly sloped guide path and a mobile component carrier, which can be detachably placed on the guide path and connected with same, wherein said guide path and the component carrier have interacting rolling bodies and rails. The feed device has a loading site, at which a worker removes a component carrier from a second guide path designed as a return path and places same on the first-mentioned guide path. In addition, the worker loads the component carrier at the loading site with one or more components.